Sunday, September 18, 2011

The "Plan"

OK, maybe I should back up some more and explain my mission. After all, I always thought the bus was a little low rent, full of freaks(except me of course) so I repeatedly tell myself riding the Greyhound really is nothing to lose my head over. What I did discover is low cost fares, free fast WI-FI, airport style security carry on inspections along with other good security updates after that tragedy in Winnipeg. The fare is the same as my pickup truck's fuel bill for the same trip. It looks like the future is still good for intercity buses.

But I digress.

Toronto to Bucharest

Sometime last year my mother started talking about returning to see the village where she and her and her 4 siblings were born. My Mom's side of the family are Danube Swabians and come from around the Danube River in an area stretching several countries right to where the Danube meets the Black Sea. Wiki has a pretty good writeup on their history, here If you scroll down through the tales of war and violence the north Yugoslavian Batschka region has experienced, my mom's story there ended in 1945 as a soon to be 6 year old. My grandmother and her sister in law left their confiscated ancestral houses with only a couple of pots and all the food they could carry and 7 children all under 10 .

65 years later I am volunteered as driver, tour director and bag man for the return home to see the now Serbian village and house.Our original intent was to fly into Vienna and drive down to Serbia. Air France had a deal to Bucharest which is a little farther but gives us another country to explore so we fly out of Toronto to Romania tomorrow.Our first stay will be in the preserved Stalinist capital for a couple of days.

About Me

Tinkerer, motorcyclist, adventurist and occasional philanthropist.
MidcenturyMike is a travel enthusiast who, when back in Ottawa is also in the process of restoring a 60 year old former hoarder's shack into its original midcentury modest glory.